The Spin:
Carole James claims her party has “a comprehensive environmental strategy, based on real climate action.”
The Facts:
Carole James and the NDP have no absolutely no strategy on climate change. They’ve promised a cap-and-trade system but refuse to actually support one; they’ve promised to eliminate the carbon tax while actually planning multiple hidden carbon taxes of their own; and they’ve refused to support a single green energy development in the province.
The Proof:
The NDP voted against legislation putting in place a cap and trade system, and they have rejected the proposal for a system to be in place by 2012 under the Western Climate Initiative. Their own climate change proposal calls for a “carbon tax at the source”– and maybe more than one. And they have called for a moratorium on independent power production that is one of the primary sources of new, green, clean energy for our province.
Here are the facts:
- The BC Liberal government was the first government in Canada to introduce legislation allowing for a comprehensive cap-and-trade system in BC. The Carole James NDP voted against it.
- BC joined the Western Climate Initiative – a group of 11 member states and provinces including Ontario, Quebec and Manitoba, representing over 83 million people– and has supported a plan to have cap-and-trade in place by 2012.
- The NDP publicly claim to support cap and trade, but voted against the necessary legislation.
- Carole James and her NDP have called to “axe” the pollution tax on carbon emissions. Yet her own climate change plan calls for “a carbon tax at source,” which places punitive new taxes on producers such as farmers that will not only kill jobs but ultimately flow costs back to consumers. Consumers will still have to pay it - it will just be hidden.
- Page five of that same report states, “All pricing models include a cost to consumers” and they cite Denmark as their model example – a jurisdiction that currently supports gas taxes that are TRIPLE those found in BC and could mean up to $1 in taxes per litre of gas. This could means billions in new costs for consumers.
- Furthermore, a new proposal from the NDP called Sustainable BC speculates on applying multiple taxes on carbon if they take office.
- Finally, the NDP has repeatedly stated they would call a moratorium on green power development through independent power producers – purely for ideological reasons. To quote Carole James: “Yeah, we’d put a moratorium.” (Voice of BC, Oct 2/08)
- They even introduced a motion in the Legislature resolving to place a moratorium on all IPP development in the province (Private Members’ Motion #51).
- The NDP also has intimate links through its partner unions to the BC Citizens for Public Power – an interest group that has sponsored an unrelenting campaign to undermine the IPP industry in communities across BC.
- When confronted with their true agenda, they deny it – yet they refuse to name a single project in the entire province they support.
The Bottom Line?
Carole James and the NDP have no plan for climate change. They claim to be for cap-and-trade and green energy yet have no taken a single action to reinforce those claims. They say they oppose carbon taxes, but their own policy shows they will implement multiple, hidden taxes that will cost us billions more.
The only honest position we have seen from the NDP is in Corky Evans’ letter to his supporters over two years ago: “Our Party has no idea how to deal with Climate Change…” (Corky Evans, Letter to Supporters, Aug 29/06)
